7 ideas that might be used for Halloween (or any other spooky lesson)

With the annual influx of Halloween-themed posts by my fellow bloggers I was like “meh, I don’t even like Halloween, I guess I only wrote about it once” – so I looked through my own posts and realised my memory is somewhat problematic (it probably goes with my age, ah well…). Having brushed the dust off my old ideas I found six activities more or less connected to this pleasantly grim festivity you may enjoy with your students.

1. The one with reading recommendations

If you want to include some reading in your classroom – after all we all love spooky stories, don’t we? – here’s my list of great books and stories you may enjoy with your students (regardless their age). Coraline is perfect for younger learners (only not too young), teenagers will love creepypastas and adults may appreciate Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party.

I am definitely going to spend my Halloween with Hellboy by Mike Mignola – one of the best graphic novels ever.

2. The one with zombies and survival tactics

Zombies are quite popular during Halloween (something I find quite adorable), so you may work with a proper coursebook English for the Zombie Apocalypse. It is a real coursebook you may use according to the authors, but you may also pick the role-plays scenarios and make your students survive (or die trying) the zombie outbreak.

3. The one with false friends turning out to be murderous aliens

Similarly to the previous idea, English for the Alien Invasion is a proper book you may use according to instructions (a very communicative course) or come up with your own project (including a life lesson on how not to befriend aliens too soon as they may prove to be murderous and treacherous creatures).

4. The one for those who prefer serious political issues

Not everyone likes Halloween – I’m not a fan myself, as I’ve got Halloween every Monday when I wake up and look in the mirror, huh. Instead I prefer including some facts about the 5th of November which we should remember indeed… and I believe no one tells us the story more frightening than Alan Moore and his V for Vendetta, the graphic novel that no longer is perceived as dystopian.

5. The one for boardgame geeks 

Halloween may be a good excuse to introduce one of the best games you can bring in to your classroom – Mystery of the Abbey, a great whudunit game with a twist. There’s a murder in a medieval abbey and players have to find the perpetrator by identifying all the monks. It’s a surprisingly communicative game for all ages and all levels of English proficiency.

6. The one for the children

I can’t help it – this is probably my absolutely favourite activity for Halloween. I love Scaredy Cat and each time I admire this cute story I adore it even more! A short story about a tiny kitten lost in a Halloween night has no speech bubbles, so it can be used by various groups on various levels… in various languages!

Ah, so there are six activities I used to enjoy in the past – but this year I’m only bringing in a story to my Advanced classes, a story by HP Lovecraft, of course, about cats and things that are more ominous than the Elder Gods with their blasphemous tentacles. I’ll ask my students to interpret the story in a more contemporary way which will definitely show them how important descriptive language is – especially the one by HPL. Ready? So listen:

7 …It is said that in Ulthar, which lies beyond the river Skai, no man may kill a cat…